The Beginning Of A Beautiful Friendship
by Tabitha12
Summary: A dark, thundery afternoon, a storm is raging, and Candy Muir is alone at Gull Cottage ... or is she?


_**The characters from 'The Ghost and Mrs. Muir' belong to 20th Century Fox and David Gerber productions.**__**No infringement is intended, no profit is made, and the characters will be returned unharmed from whence they came. This story is for enjoyment only. All other characters, plots, story lines and development of GAMM characters belong to the author and may not be used or changed without express written permission.**_

_**This story takes place at the end of the first season — or before the starting of the second season of GAMM – August, 1969.**__**Thank you to Kathy, Sue and Mara, who let me bend their ear during the early writing process and to the GAMM loopies, but especially to Amanda for her input, including suggesting a title when I got stuck for a good idea, and Susan G and Amanda for the always-needed beta-read.**_

**The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship**

Mary

**August, 16, 1969 **

"Mrs. Muir! Jonathan!" Martha called up the stairs that Saturday morning in August. "It's after twelve-fifteen! Your dentist's appointment is at one. You better get moving!"

"Who wants to be on time for the DENTIST?" Jonathan groaned, walking in the front door of Gull Cottage, looking the utter picture of woe. "What a way to waste a perfectly good Saturday! Can't we just SAY we went, and skip the whole thing?"

"Not very likely, Jonathan!" Carolyn Muir smiled as she arrived at the bottom of the staircase and ruffled her son's hair. "Don't look so unhappy! It's just for a cleaning and an exam. It's not the end of the world. I have one today, too, and you don't see me complaining!"

"You're a grownup, you can't complain, and I still don't see why Candy isn't coming," Jonathan grumbled, smoothing his hair back in place, and he looked up at his mother. "How come SHE got so lucky, anyway?"

"You know perfectly well your sister went two weeks ago when you had that horrible cold, lad," said Daniel Gregg, materializing in front of the boy. "Your appointment had to be postponed, remember?"

"Because Candy went two weeks ago, when you were sick," Martha stated, oblivious to the fact that she was almost repeating what the seaman had just said. Jonathan smiled in spite of himself, thinking of what the housekeeper was missing.

"Right," Carolyn agreed. "Candy's all done with the dentist for another six months, and after today you will be, too. Now stop complaining, please. It's a nice drive to Keystone, and we really don't have a choice in the matter, anyway, not with Doctor Rodman selling his practice and going on a world cruise after his mother died two months ago."

"Jonathan, have I ever told you what modern dentistry consisted of in MY day?" The seaman shuddered. "Not much, I can assure you! A man could consider himself lucky if he still had all his own teeth by the time he was my age. You should count yourself very fortunate indeed to live in a time with dentists. It is one of the places I think mankind has definitely benefited by advancements in technology."

"Don't you have all YOUR teeth?" Jonathan asked, amazed, turning to his hero, now standing, unseen, next to the housekeeper.

"Of course I do..." the Captain started, looking almost insulted by the question.

"What on earth makes you ask a question like that, Jonathan?" Martha sniffed, still oblivious to the Captain's comments. "I'll have you know that the ONLY teeth I am missing are my wisdom teeth. The dentist pulled mine out at the tender age of twelve, when I got my braces. Now, if you'll excuse me, I still need to go catch Scruffy and lock him in the car — you know how he feels about vets! It's a good thing you could make three doctor appointments on the same day!" The plump woman made a dash for the outside. "Scruffy! Come back here!"

"Looks like you will have the house practically all to yourself for the rest of the day, Captain!" Carolyn smiled and looked up at the specter.

"I don't remember asking for time alone today," the seaman said thoughtfully. "The house seems so... so out of balance now when you all aren't in it. Speaking of which, when is Candy due back from her — slumber party, you called it?"

"Not until somewhat later, I imagine — having done everything little girls do at slumber parties, BUT slumber!" Carolyn grinned. "Mrs. Coburn will be taking the girls swimming in Pripet around two-thirty or so, but Candy should be pedaling home on her bike some time around five. Jonathan and I will be back by then, but even if we aren't, Martha will be here."

"Jonathan is itching to get his ship's model finished," the seaman said, and the boy nodded.

"We just have the yardarms and the sails... If only we..."

"I know, and I would really rather stay here and get some more work done on my article," Carolyn smiled. "But we have to get this out of the way. So now..."

"Got him!" Martha was at the front door again, dusting the dog hair off her hands. "Scruffy is safely in the car, Mrs. Muir. Now it's your turn! Now, please hurry, or you'll be late!"

"Right, Martha!" Carolyn turned to Jonathan. "Ready mate? Let's shove off!"

"Aye-Aye, Mom," the boy replied, looking glum again. "Bye, Martha! Bye, Ca..." and he stopped himself, remembering the seaman still hadn't made himself known to the housekeeper. "Bye, Captain!" he said under his breath, and headed for the door.

"Good-bye, Captain!" Carolyn echoed her son's whispered statement. "Good-bye, Martha!" she added in a normal tone of voice, and she made her way to the car.

XXX

About an hour after Carolyn, Jonathan and Scruffy left for Keystone, a knock came at the door of Gull Cottage. Wiping her hands on her apron, Martha made her way to the foyer and opened the door. Much to her surprise, the Reverend James Farley was on the other side, looking extremely agitated.

"Miz Grant?" James Farley gave a sigh of relief and looked a mite bit calmer. "Oh, I'm so happy to find you at home!"

"Why, Reverend Farley!" Martha exclaimed. "What on earth is the matter? You look upset... What's wrong?"

"Well, Miz Grant, I came by to... well, that is I..."

"Yes?"

"Well, I was wondering... I mean to say, I really need your help."

"Whatever I can do, Reverend. You know that!"

"Well..." he said hesitantly, "I was wondering, my dear, if I could possibly prevail upon you to be the organist at a funeral?"

"Why of course! When would you need me?"

"Right now, actually. You see, the funeral is set for today, at two-thirty, in Bangor. Lois, my wife, was supposed to come with me and serve as organist, as she usually does, but she's been sidelined by a terrible migraine. I waited as late as I could, hoping she would get better, and I tried to get Mrs. Gilbert before I bothered you, but her brood has chicken pox, and well, I'm begging you, could you see your way to helping me out? I have no way to get any recorded music at this point." He paused. "I could do the service without music, I suppose, or try to find someone when I get there, but, well the funeral is for an old friend of mine, a fellow clergyman, and..." Martha nodded, understanding the desperateness of the situation. "I have all the sheet music Lois was planning on using... and I'm really so sorry, Martha, and under normal circumstances, I wouldn't bother you, because I know how busy you are and how much Mrs. Muir..."

"...Reverend Farley?"

"Yes?"

"Stop explaining. I'll do it. Can you wait while I change clothes? I'm not exactly dressed for a funeral at the moment."

The clergyman breathed a sigh of relief. "Gladly. Are you sure Mrs. Muir won't mind?"

Martha shook her head. "No. She won't. This is something of an emergency, after all. My housekeeping can wait. She and Jonathan are at the dentist's in Keystone. Candy is at the Coburn's and won't be home until five — and Mrs. Muir will be home by four, so I really don't see any reason why I can't help you, and I'd be glad to. Won't you come in and wait? I'll be changed in twenty minutes."

XXX

Truer than her word, Martha was ready fifteen minutes later. They were in the car when Martha stopped the clergyman. "You know, just to be on the safe side, Reverend Farley, I think I will leave a message — just so Mrs. Muir doesn't worry. Here..." Hastily, she scratched out a note to her employer on a small pad of paper she extracted from her purse. "I'll be right back," she said, opening the car door. Quickly, she made her way back up the walk and attached the note to the front door, using the clip that Ed Peavey had installed only the week before. "There," she said, returning and seating herself. "All set. Sorry for the wait," she turned to the clergyman, "but I feel better. I don't want anyone to worry."

Reverend Farley nodded. "Quite all right, Martha. Better to be safe than sorry, I always say!"

With that remark, he once more shifted the car into gear and they headed off down the road — the ghost of Gull Cottage observing the proceedings from his position on the second floor balcony.

XXX

Carolyn's assessment of the party the night before was right on target. The group of little girls had done everything but slumber. It was after four in the morning before they had stopped gossiping, playing games, eating junk food and giggling, and finally collapsed into their sleeping bags. They didn't wake until after two o'clock the next day — at which point Margaret Coburn unveiled a breakfast-lunch of magnificent proportions — waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberries, three kinds of sweet cereal, a variety of muffins and doughnuts, and orange juice. Now the breakfast table was filled with the excited chatter of little girls.

"Last night sure was fun, Linda," Suzy Griffith said over the general commotion. "When it's my birthday, I'll see if I can get my mom to let us roller skate in our garage, too."

"You only have a single garage," Penelope Hassenhammer sniffed. "Ours is a double. We'd have more room at MY house."

"So I'll move the furniture around in the attic," Suzy shrugged. "We can skate up there. My birthday is in January. It will be a little cold to skate outside then, anyway."

"Your mom would really let you skate in your attic?" Kathy Chambers asked, reaching for another piece of melon. "Won't it hurt the floor?"

"Naa," Suzy shook her head. "It's all tiled in now. Roller skates won't mess it up at all. We have a Twister mat painted on the floor, too."

"That's cool," Judy Beckman interjected. "We have a Ping-Pong table set up in our garage, darts, a big checkerboard, and a little refrigerator for pop and stuff, but no Twister."

"I think I'd rather have a stereo," Candy Muir said thoughtfully. "A stereo in the attic with extra speakers would be neat. But there's a lot of old stuff up there at the moment, and no other place to put it. Oh well! It was fun dancing and singing along with your records last night, Linda."

"And no 'quiet down, girls'!" Linda laughed, mimicking a 'mother' voice and shaking her head. "Mom says that converting our attic to a bedroom and rec. room for me was the smartest thing she ever did, even if it did cost a lot. It's the only reason Conner sleeps through the night, right, Mom?"

Margaret Coburn nodded absently and turned from where she was concentrating on trying to coax Linda's baby brother to eat, with little success.

"Think you _might_ get a stereo for your birthday, anyway, Candy?" Kathy Chambers asked, munching on a banana muffin. "Then you could sing and dance to your records without anyone else bothering you."

"Or me bothering them," Candy smiled. "No. Mom says maybe a record player for Jonathan's and my room, though." Candy shook her head. "I really don't need one of my own. We have a good hi-fi downstairs in the living room, and, like I said, the attic is filled with stuff, and the cellar isn't finished, so..."

"Just a dirt floor," Penelope sneered. "Cobwebs, dirt and spoo..."

"I liked making my own pizza the best," Amanda Furey interrupted the other girl quietly, but smoothly. "That and then getting to create our own sundae! Your mom thinks up the best stuff, Linda."

"Thank-you, dear," Margaret Coburn smiled, happy that her daughter's friends were pleased.

"I'm looking forward to today the most," Anne Patterson smiled, flipping back her long red hair. "It was really groovy of you to take us all swimming, Mrs. Coburn." She turned her large brown eyes toward her hostess for a moment and then back to her schoolmate. "And you, too, Linda, for thinking up such a great idea. My mom let me get a new swimsuit just for today."

"I heard the pool has three slides," Candy added.

"I just hope it has three lifeguards!" Linda whispered back to Candy. "Wouldn't it be great if the lifeguards look like the guys on our _Mystery Date _cards?"

"Long as we get 'dreams,' not 'duds'!" Judy Beckman giggled.

"MY mom bought me a TWO-piece swimsuit," Penelope said smugly. "The sales lady who waited on me said it makes me look at least sixteen."

"Sixteen going on six," Amanda muttered, under her breath, nudging Candy, who grinned back at her.

"I liked telling the ghost stories last night the best," said Kathy Chambers. "You really know some good ones, Linda. But that one — _The Screaming Skull of Bettiscombe Manor_..." she shuddered.

"That wasn't so scary," Penelope sneered again. The phone rang at that point, and Margaret Coburn turned to her daughter, telling her to watch her brother for a moment while she went and answered it in the other room — away from the noisy gabble of little girls.

Waiting until her mother was safely out of the room; Linda Coburn turned to Candy Muir and gave her a nudge and slightly sheepish look. "Hey, Candy?" she started, and waited for her friend to pay attention to her.

"Yeah?"

"Are you mad at me?"

Candy turned to her friend, a frown on her face. "About what?" she asked, the scowl disappearing and a look of forced nonchalance replacing it.

"You know..." The girl stopped again. "...Us asking you all those questions during _Truth or Dare _last night." The girl looked hesitant. "You know, about your house being haunted."

"And thinking up those stupid stunts," Amanda added. "My mother doesn't even like me playing that game. She's right, too. It's too easy for things to get out of hand. I'm sorry, Candy."

"Your dare wasn't that bad," Candy protested, but she scowled at Penelope, who was snickering.

"I thought the dares were funny," Penelope snorted. "Besides, all you had to do was tell us the truth, Candy, and, she would have stopped asking you questions, but you wouldn't, so..."

"I don't HAVE to answer your questions, Penelope Hassenhammer!" Candy fumed, trying to keep her temper.

"But you never DID tell us, Candy..." Penelope prodded again. "Really, now. Everyone knows you live in a haunted house — admit it."

Candy bit her lip. "It's NOT haunted. Gull Cottage is wonderful. I love it there. It always feels warm and cozy, like it's happy to see me—" She broke off suddenly then, remembering the two times the Cottage had NOT felt warm. When her mother had ordered the monkey-puzzle tree in the front yard chopped down, and how miserable her brother had been that day, and again at her mother's unhappiness when that woman... Vanessa, was it? wanted to buy Gull Cottage and her mother saying that they were going to have to move.

"There's no ghost at Gull Cottage," she repeated. "I've never seen anything."

"My brother Fred said your brother said there was," Kathy Chambers put in. "Jonathan changed his mind and said there wasn't a little later, but Fred says Jonathan has mentioned 'the Captain' more than once, so there is either a ghost, or your brother is lying."

"Or he's a little... STRANGE, if you know what I mean," Penelope added, circling the side of her head with her index finger. "Jonathan never did say where he got all that information about John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, either. Maybe his 'ghost' told him."

"That's stupid," Candy denied again. "And there's nothing wrong with Jonathan. If there was a ghost, I'd know it. That Mr. Wilkie didn't find one, and he was a professional ghost hunter."

"Maybe, maybe not," Anne interrupted. "Maybe there's a ghost and he just hasn't said 'hello' to you yet."

"Maybe Mr. Wilkie didn't really know how to look for a ghost," Kathy added.

"Or the ghost hid," said Penelope.

"Or maybe he can't come near you," Judy added. "Maybe you wear something that keeps him away from you — you know, like garlic, or a silver cross, or something."

"That's for vampires, Judy," Penelope sneered again. "Maybe the ghost hates you, Candy."

"He doesn't hate me, and there IS no ghost! Do you really think I would lie to you?" Candy said, more and more flustered. She was turning red, now. "I don't wear anything to keep a ghost away. And there's no such thing as vampires... or ghosts. I'm telling you, if there was a ghost at Gull Cottage, I'd know. Besides..." she added. "IF Gull Cottage was haunted with a ghost, he'd be a NICE ghost, and I wouldn't have to be afraid of him."

"You know what I think?" said Anne, scratching her head. "I think maybe you think there is and you don't want to admit it."

Candy rolled her eyes. "Are you guys done yet? Can't we find something else to talk about, please?"

"Yeah, this talk is getting silly, anyway," Amanda added. "If there is a ghost, he's obviously nice, or Candy wouldn't still be living at Gull Cottage, and if there isn't, we have nothing to talk about."

Candy pushed herself away from the table, relieved. "Right, and I want to go get my bathing suit and stuff ready, anyway."

Margaret Coburn rushed back into the room looking apologetic. "Sorry, girls. Looks like we're going to have to cancel the swimming plans for this afternoon." A general moan filled the air, and Margaret Coburn waved her hands in the air, looking agitated. "Girls — Girls! I'm really sorry, but it can't be helped. My uncle — Linda's great-uncle Harvey just called. He's visiting Maine, and we have to meet him up in Pripet... he just got married and we have to meet his latest... that is, his new wife—"

Linda sighed. "New wife, Mom? We meet his most recent... Uhm, newest... HER last year, didn't we?"

Margaret Coburn shook her head. "No, dear, that was Leolla... the one we are meeting this time is his NEW wife... Astrid, I think, is her name."

Linda shrugged. "Guess we were about due for it." She glanced at her friends. "My uncle changes wives every other year!"

The girls giggled, and Mrs. Coburn lifted baby Conner up from his high chair. She started to head for the stairs, and then turned back. "Listen, girls. I promise. Next weekend we'll all get together and go swimming, just like we planned and then pizza afterwards, okay?" The girls, disappointed, nodded their assent.

It took about another half-hour for the girls to finish breakfast and pack their overnight gear. Candy was the last out the door. Margaret Coburn sighed and looked at her watch again. "We need to hurry, Linda. It's getting late..." and she looked at her daughter's friend, and then at the darkening sky. "I'm sorry I can't drive you home, Candy. Are you sure you'll be all right? It looks like a storm might be brewing..."

"It's really no big deal, Mrs. Coburn," Candy responded immediately, anxious to get off by herself where she would have a chance to think. "I have my bike, remember? You'd never be able to fit it in your car and Linda and me and my bike and Conner, too... I've ridden my bike home lots of times!"

"Well, if you're sure, dear..." Margaret Coburn said absently, easing into her car. "But this weather..."

"C'mon, Mom," Linda urged. "Candy says she'll be fine. We're going to be late, and we still have to meet Dad..."

Candy smiled again. "Really, I'll be okay, but I should get going." Throwing her leg over her bike, she started inching forward. "See you next weekend, for the swimming party, Linda! Bye, Mrs. Coburn! Thanks for everything!" Candy headed down the street, through town, and toward Gull Cottage, two miles away.

XXX

Once out of Mrs. Coburn's sight, Candy slowed her bike down to almost a walking pace, and she thought about the 'ghost' conversation at the breakfast table. Penelope's clique's teasing stirred up all the things she'd made herself ignore. _There wasn't really a ghost at Gull Cottage, was there? _She was alone, and had plenty of time on her hands — and the more she thought, the more her more recent memories 'haunted' her. _What if there was a ghost? _A vision of Captain Gregg's portrait flashed in front of her. "The ogre," that's what Martha called him. _Even in the portrait, those sea-blue eyes stared at you._

_Mom never seems to be scared of a ghost, _she reflected, stopping to adjust her sleeping bag, tied to the back of her bike. It kept slipping sideways. _Mr. Gregg is scared of something, though. He's nervous every time he comes out to Gull Cottage. And he tried to get us to leave the first day we got here, too. But why did he rent the house to us and then want us to leave? _she asked herself. And then... _then after cleaning house all that first day, Mom_ _woke us up, and we packed and left and, and, and, it almost seemed like the car turned around by itself when we tried to drive away, and then we came back... _The eight-year-old shook her head again_. Stupid. The whole idea was just plain dumb... wasn't it?_

Candy shivered. The wind was picking up and the sky was darkening. Sure sign of a storm. Suddenly, she wished that she had taken Mrs. Coburn up on her offer of the ride. She could have been home by now. Leaning into the wind, she pedaled harder, if not faster, trying to move the bike along and push her thoughts aside, but all the events that had happened in the last year kept running through her mind — like a film running at fast speed.

"Jonathan keeps talking about Captain Gregg," she muttered. "Captain Gregg is teaching him how to tie knots. Captain Gregg taught him how to bait a hook; Captain Gregg is helping him with his model ship. Captain Gregg taught him how to shoot the sun, whatever that is." She sighed and wiped the hair out of her eyes. "It's impossible," she said softly. _But I've SEEN him talk to someone... Jonathan's too old for that sort of thing. I remember he used to talk to an invisible bear when he was three, but it didn't last long, but since we came here, he keeps talking about the Captain and he DOES talk to him, and_... _And now that I think about it, I've heard Mom talk to herself, too! She says she is thinking out stories, but it's not like she is talking to herself out loud, like telling a story — more like saying something to someone else? Why would she only talk half a conversation? If you are writing, you have to write both sides... Martha hasn't said anything about a ghost, though,_ her thoughts continued. _But once in a while she says something_ _about losing her marbles..._ _She doesn't think that there is a ghost, I'm pretty sure of that!_

Candy pulled her bike up short and gazed up at the boiling thunderclouds. "Candy, you are being silly," she scolded herself again and drank from the thermos of water that Mrs. Coburn had given her. "There's no ghost! There has got to be a normal, reasonable explanation for all the weird stuff that has happened here for the last year." _A ghost?_ she reflected, and started pedaling once more. She was still over a mile from home, the wind was whipping around her, and she shivered in her thin windbreaker.

_A fire would be nice right _now. She sighed. _A great big fire in the fireplace... at Gull Cottage. _She started, jerking her head up. _There was a fire going that first night... But that was after Mom had us all leave... then we turned around, and came back and the lights were on, and I know Mom turned them off, and then the car wouldn't start all of a sudden, and we came inside, and there was a fire... I asked who started it, but Mom sorta didn't listen to me... and Jonathan said something... the Captain?_

_There's other stuff too, _Candy reflected, as she pedaled. _Like how it storms around_ _Gull Cottage a lot, but not in town._ _And there was that night Miss Zimmerman and Mr. Dillman got married_, she recalled. _The piano played by itself. Mom told Mr. Dillman it was a player piano, but when I tried to play it the next day, there was no place for music, it was just a normal piano _— _and what about how unhappy Mom was when the great, great, granddaughter of Captain Gregg's old girlfriend was here? We were going to move, and then, suddenly, Vanessa left. And what about Uncle Arnold? First his magic didn't work, and then it did... and then it didn't again. And what about when Mom had the monkey-puzzle tree chopped down? The house felt horrible then, and Jonathan said it was because the Captain had left, but when Mom went to Boston and planted another tree the house felt right again... and what about how funny Mom acted after Doctor Jim was here? And she went to Boston AGAIN, and then Doctor McNally visited, and then the next day Mom was acting like Mom again... and where DID Jonathan hear of Willow Bark Golden Elixir, anyway?_

When Candy finally made it to Gull Cottage at a quarter till four, the storm Mrs. Coburn had worried about had become a reality. The first crack of thunder sounded just as she reached the front gate, and rain began to fall in big fat drops. Candy looked around, noting the absence of the family's station wagon and concluded that her mother wasn't home yet. Jumping off her bike, she moved herself, and her bike up the stairs, to the covered porch. Trying the doorknob, she discovered that the door was locked, and she knocked. No answer. _Blast. Where had that word come from?_ Candy was about to knock again when she noticed the piece of paper on the clip. Standing on tiptoe she pulled it off, opened it up and read it. _Blast again. Martha is gone, too._

_Okay, extra key, _Candy thought, leaning her bike against the house where it wouldn't get wet. The rain was falling harder now, and a bolt of lightening brightened the dark sky for a second, and there was another crack of thunder. _Mom keeps the extra key under the flowerpot in the garden._ Making a mad dash, the little girl raced down porch steps, grabbed the house key, and dashed back up the stairs again and inserted the key in the lock.

The door creaked as it swung open. _Why haven't I ever noticed that before? _she wondered. _Kinda spooky_. "Don't be such a chicken, Candy," she scolded herself. "You're just letting that creep Penelope get to you. There's no ghost here, it's just an old house that makes old, creaky noises." Looking around, all she saw was... nothing. _Why does this place look so BIG all of a sudden? _The girl shivered. "Martha?" she called, hopefully. _Maybe she's here and she forgot to take the note off the door_. "Martha? Scruffy? Anyone here?" But the only sound that greeted her was silence. Dropping her sleeping bag in the foyer, wondering idly if her mom would fuss about her not putting her things away properly, the little girl made her way toward the living room. And watching her from the shadows was Captain Daniel Gregg.

XXX

_The house feels... cold. That's it. Cold,_ Candy thought. _And not just temperature-cold, either_. "Hello?" she called in vain. "It's me — anyone here?" The empty house didn't answer her — but rather her own voice seemed to bounce back to her. _Guess not... _Reaching the living room, Candy looked at the set, but unlit fireplace and sighed, wondering how hard it would be to actually start a fire. _Well, maybe Mom wouldn't want me messing around with that when she's not home. Does Mom know how to get a fire going? _"I wish that the fire would just come on like it did that first time," the girl said softly, staring at the hearth intently. But nothing happened.

_Seems so much bigger in here_, she thought, moving around the room, _but it's kinda cool... I think. I've never been old enough to stay by myself before! Guess I'll have to remember to tell Mom that the next time she worries about me... and hey! I can play my radio as loud as I want! No one saying 'Turn it down, Candy...'_ Grabbing her transistor from where she had left it on the coffee table, the girl switched the unit on, turned it up loud, and began to dance to the rock music, swinging her arms, moving to the beat... but only until the end of the song. She stopped abruptly when the next roll of thunder came. _It's just not the same,_ she sighed, turning the radio off and putting it back in its place on the table. _Something's missing. I'm can do what I want, but it just doesn't feel right without Mom and Martha telling me to turn in down, or go outside... and it's no good without Jonathan dancing, too ... Weird. Blast. There's nobody telling me what I can and can't do and I still can't do anything ... _Her thoughts stopped for a moment. _There's that word again! It's lonely here and... Scary._

Candy shook herself. "I know! I'll watch TV!" she said, out loud. "Cartoon Cavalcade should be on! And I won't have to listen to Jonathan tell me he wants to watch those silly 'Batman' reruns!" Feeling a bit more chipper, Candy reached for the knob on the TV set. Pulling it to the 'on' position she was greeted by a loud buzzing sound and scrambled picture. "No!" she exclaimed softly. "TV is on the blink again!" Through the bay window in the living room, lightning crossed the sky and was followed a few seconds later by a loud crash of thunder that rattled the windowpane.

Cringing, Candy made her way to the window and peered out. Rain was hitting the glass in sheets, and the wind seemed to be getting higher. Through the window, she watched the new monkey-puzzle tree sway in the wind, and she remembered Amanda telling everyone how a tree had crashed into her bedroom, only minutes after she left it._ Was this monkey-puzzle tree big enough to do that? Did Mom plant it in the right spot to keep it from hitting Gull Cottage? What if it did? What could I do? And why DID Mom plant another tree, anyway?_ She reached into the small table next to the window and pulled out two of the candles her mother kept there for emergencies. Better be safe, than sorry... and she slid them, and some matches that were also in the drawer into the pocket of her slacks.

The little girl stared out the window again. Despite the afternoon hour, it was almost dark outside. _Where are Mom and Jonathan? _she fretted, moving way from the window. _And when is Martha coming home? They should be here by now..._ The room seemed to grow darker and she realized with a start that she was chilly in her short-sleeved blouse and lightweight slacks. Cold really. It WAS cold. Reaching for the windbreaker she had taken off earlier, she put it on, but it barely made a difference. Candy headed for the foyer to go upstairs and change — well, maybe not. _Go upstairs? Alone? With no one else in the house? Not even Scruffy? _She headed back to the living room again. _I'm not really THAT cold..._ she thought. Then she shivered._ Maybe I'm just hungry. _But in her heart she knew that wasn't the case. Thanks to the late lunch at the Coburn's, a snack was really the last thing on her mind. The sound of the ringing telephone drew her back into the foyer, where she grabbed the receiver.

"Hello? Mom?" she said breathlessly, "Mom? Is that you?" she continued, without waiting for an answer. "Mommy, there's no one home, and I..." She broke off, realizing that the only sound coming from the other end of the line was a strange clicking noise, and then what almost sounded like breathing, which quickly changed to static. Then the line went dead. "Mom?" Desperately, the eight-year-old jiggled the telephone cradle. "Mom?" A pause. "Millie?" she whispered, hoping Schooner Bay's telephone operator could hear her. "Anyone there?" Nothing. Her voice started to quiver. "Mommy? Martha? Jonathan? Oh, ANYBODY! Can you hear me?" No answer came, and fighting her tears, she put the phone back on its cradle and headed back toward the living room. As she passed the hallway that led to Martha's bedroom and the downstairs bathroom, she heard a creak and then a thump that seemed to come from the floor above, and her heart almost stopped. Another thunder crack soon had her scurrying toward the living room again, but the strange banging in the kitchen continued, without ceasing. _What was it? Was someone trying to get in? _A small cry escaped her lips and Candy rushed toward the couch, jumping onto it, grabbing the afghan that was there, and covering herself up to her ears.

"There," she said fiercely. "I'm not scared. There's no one trying to get in, I know there isn't..." Lightning flashed at the bay window. "One, two, three, four..." Candy counted silently until she heard the boom of thunder again. "...Nine, ten..." BOOM. "Two miles away," she muttered, "Nothing to be worried about, except for where's Mom and Jonathan and Scruffy? Why aren't they home?" _Delayed in the storm... The rain is coming down in buckets. Maybe the road was washed out_... and then another thought occurred to her. _What if they can't get home? What if they went off the road? Are they all right? What if I am here alone all night? _A tear trickled down her cheek. "Oh, please..." she whispered, remembering the 'screaming skull' ghost story Penelope Hassenhammer had told at the slumber party. "Please, let everybody be all right... _including me..." _Lightning flashed again and shadows danced against the wall of the living room. A shape seemed to take form there... Candy closed her eyes. _Surely that isn't a... a MAN? A man with an axe? _She groaned slightly, wishing she had never heard the ghost stories the girls had been telling the night before. The wind moaned outside, and another flash of lightning lit up the sky. A mighty crash, a moment later, and then the lights went out.

Candy sat in the darkness, too afraid to move. _Telephone... I have to call someone_... Her thoughts were erratic. _Are the phone lines down, too? That's what happened in Penny's story... First, the power went out, then the phone, and then... the killer was at the window! Is that shadow back again? _"Mommy!" the girl's voice cried out in the darkened room, her head flew under the afghan and Candy made herself as small as she could under the blanket, scrunched up in the fetal position, and her tears began to flow in earnest, in deep, shoulder-shaking sobs. "Oh, Mommy..." came the thin voice from under the cover. "Mommy, where ARE you?"

The voice that answered her was soft and smooth — like velvet, and seemed to come from INSIDE her head — not to her ears.

"Candy? Candy Muir. My dear, please calm yourself. I'm Captain Gregg. Please, don't cry. Everything is fine. I won't let anyone harm you. Please... please listen to me. Everything is going to be all right."

Startled, Candace Muir's tears ceased. Slowly she uncurled herself and peeked out from the blanket where she had cocooned herself. The figure in front of her was tall and impressive — but, more importantly, he was holding a lit candle.

"Captain... Gregg?" she croaked, recognizing the man from the portrait immediately. "Is... are you really there?"

"Yes, I am. Are you all right?"

"You..." she yipped, and then covered her mouth. "Sorry," she mumbled, uncovering it again. "You really ARE here?"

"Yes."

"And... you're..." Her voice was getting braver now.

"I'm a..."

"You're a ghost," she stated. "Really?"

"I prefer the term, spirit," he answered.

"Spirit?"

"SUPER spirit, actually."

"Jonathan was telling the truth? About you?"

"Yes, he was."

"I guess I should say something to him about that, huh?" she said quietly, abashed. "I didn't believe him."

"I would think so."

"Well, he..." She stopped, realizing there was nothing she could really add. "So..."

"Yes?"

"Have... have you been watching me since I came home?"

"Yes. I was concerned about you."

"Then why are you making that noise?"

"What noise?"

"That banging!" She flounced on the couch, jerking her head toward the kitchen. "It's scary. And it's getting louder. You can turn it off now."

"Candy, I'm not making any noise." He cocked his head. "Ah, I hear it now. In there. I believe that's a loose shutter."

"You aren't doing it?"

"Of course not," he sniffed. "I'm above such things. Scaring a little girl. Indeed."

"I'm not a little girl!" she protested. "I'll be nine in a couple of months."

"Not until November. I was at your last birthday party."

"Three months, then. Hey!" The dawn was breaking. "You really DID help out Uncle Arnold, didn't you?"

"Uncle Arnold? That inept..."

"Yeah, you did. You know. My party last year. His magic. Thanks. I had the best birthday party because he was there."

"I'm glad to know that. Happy birthday, belatedly."

"Thanks." Candy looked around the darkened room, wondering what to say next. "So, can you fix it?"

"Fix what?"

"The shutter."

"I believe so. Would you care to assist me?"

"Yeah. I don't want to stay in here by myself."

"Follow me, then." Taking up the candle, the spirit and the girl headed for the kitchen.

XXX

Fixing the shutter was actually a simple matter. Daniel Gregg did the work, but Candy felt useful, handing him the hammer and nails. After they had finished, the girl, deciding she was hungry after all, helped herself to an apple from the bowl on the counter, and a glass of milk. Then they adjourned once more to the living room.

"I wish the lights worked," Candy remarked, as she watched the seaman light a few more candles, including the ones she remembered she had in her pocket. "No lights make the house seem colder, you know? You sure you can't make the lights come back on?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear. I didn't shut them off, so I can't turn them back on again."

"But you could make the lights go off, if you wanted to?"

"Aye. If I wanted to, I could. It's a simple matter. But I won't. Probably not ever again, unless it is needed."

"What else can you do?"

"Any number of things." The seaman tugged his ear. "But I don't like to boast." The girl shivered, and the seaman had the grace to look startled. "Candy, are you cold?"

She shivered again. "Yes — aren't you?"

"Candy, I'm a spirit. I can't feel the cold, the rain, the wind. Anything like that. I can only remember what they felt like."

"But you can touch things!" her eyes narrowed. "The candles, and the shutter in the kitchen, and the hammer and nails — you touched those."

Daniel Gregg looked at her closely. _She really was quite clever, this one. And spunky, like her mother_. "You're quite right. I can. And my only answer to that is, I'm not sure why. Maybe because the house is mine, so the things in it, inanimate things, I can touch. But nothing — alive. You, Scruffy, Jonathan, your mother... anyone. I've tri..." He sighed.

"Must be nice not to get too hot or too cold all the time, though." The girl shivered again. "Like people do."

"Yes, but I also miss the feel of warm sunshine on my face, a cool breeze at twilight, and the tou..." He broke off. "You could go upstairs and get changed into something warmer."

"Not a chance!" Candy rolled her eyes. "It's still thundering and raining out there. I'm not going upstairs in a dark house, with or without a gho... spirit... candle." She reached for the afghan again.

"I can't make the rain stop, but I can help you, Candy. All you need to do is let me help you." With that, the spirit raised his hand and a blaze sprang up in the fireplace. "There, I believe that will warm the room — and illuminate it."

Candy looked at him. "That first night — when we were at Gull Cottage and then left and came back! You started the fire in the fireplace then, too, didn't you?"

"Yes, Candy. I thought perhaps if the house was a bit more cheerful, you would want to stay."

"I didn't want to leave! Neither did Jonathan. Mom did." She paused. "That was the first night — she must have been mad at you, huh?"

"Yes," the spirit admitted. "She thought that I should leave — MY house! I said no, so she left instead."

"So Mom and Jonathan know about you. But not Martha, right?"

"No, she does not. I would hardly let her call me an ogre, if she did."

"And when it's thundered here, before, was it 'cause you were ticked about something? Like you were the day we got here?" she asked, right after another large 'boom' outside.

"Ah, yes, sometimes. But not this time. As your brother put it once, sometimes it thunders just because it thunders, without my help."

"I didn't think this—" She gestured vaguely to the outside. "— was you. I just kinda wondered about the other times."

"Sometimes it has been me, yes."

"But Captain Gregg, why didn't you let me in on it? Why couldn't I know about you? Why did you tell Jonathan and Mom, but not me?"

"Jonathan—" Daniel Gregg paused and stroked his beard, trying to decide how best to continue. "I didn't TELL Jonathan. That's not quite what happened, Candy. You all arrived that first day. Claymore had already agreed that he would give your mother back her money and leave me and my house alone, but your mother wouldn't listen — blasted stubborn she was... is."

Candy nodded. "Yeah. But sometimes it's a good thing. Like when she wanted to leave Philadelphia and come out here. You have to be stubborn to stand up to Grandpa Muir."

"Indeed. Do you remember what else happened that first day, Candy?"

"Mom saw your portrait and called you magnificent..."

"Yes," he smiled. "But you all came inside, remember? I can't remember where you were, but your mother and Martha went to the other room with Claymore. I was standing on the stairway watching you all make your way through the house. Jonathan started up the stairs and stopped right in front of me! Startling, to say the least! Of course, he asked who I was — not at all surprised to see a strange person inside this old place. I told him the truth, about myself — fully expecting him to make a run for his mother. He still wasn't upset. Stood up to me most admirably, I thought. Anyway, I couldn't scare him away, then. And Candy, my girl, Jonathan did try to tell you about me."

"You're right," Candy sighed. "He did. And I thought he was just playing games with me. Trying to creep me out."

"Yes. And then you said you were scared and didn't want to hear about it. After you all went to bed, your mother came back downstairs, and I... well, I sort of tried to convince her to leave again. She called me a coward, almost to my face! No man... or woman calls me a coward. I appeared to her and... Well, we worked things out."

"But you didn't tell me," Candy pouted.

"But Jonathan tried to, my dear. Several times."

"Yes, but..."

"But. You kept saying there were no such things as ghosts. I heard you, my dear. You said that your little brother was trying to scare you."

"Well, you're right there," Candy grumbled, agreeing. "But you could have told me later... Just sort of popped in, or something. Or Mom could've."

"Candy, to a spirit, time is relative. Later, to me could be next month, next year... not always the next day or week. But actually, I did try to—"

"When? How come you never just, just appeared to me? Like you did just now? Why did it have to be an emergency thing?"

"I tried to tell you — while you were sleeping. The first night you arrived. After you all were tucked back in bed after you're your late night jaunt."

"I don't remember..."

"I sat and talked to both you and Jonathan while you were asleep. I told you that you wouldn't think of me as anything that unusual, and that there was no need to be frightened of me."

"But..."

"But you didn't wake up the next morning knowing there was a ghost. No, you didn't. But you weren't frightened either — not of the ghost that supposedly haunted Gull Cottage, and not of being in the house."

"Well," the girl thought for a moment. "That's true. I've loved Gull Cottage since the first day we came here. But I still wish you would've said something before. I am the oldest. I should have been told."

"Candy, all I can tell you for sure is you weren't ready to be told yet. Jonathan was. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to see me."

"But, you told Mom..."

"Candy, I couldn't have let you all stay without telling her I was here, but truthfully, originally I wanted to wait a bit before telling your mother. I wanted to see how you all took care of my ship, first. But as I told you earlier, your mother called me a cowardly ghost."

Candy giggled. "Not a friendly ghost, like Casper?"

"Who?"

"Casper, the Friend... never mind. He's nothing like you, anyway. Still think you shouldn't have waited so long. But I guess you had to tell Mom — bet that's why she packed us all up, and tried to leave that first night."

"Yes, it was... but I talked her into staying!"

"After you turned the car around? That was you, too, wasn't it? You could have just... just popped into the car and asked us all to stay."

"Yes. I could have. But, Candy, I keep telling you, you weren't ready. Martha still isn't. Your mother was barely ready. I told you when you were ready to hear the truth."

"Well, I kinda had a feeling you were here for sure anyway."

"Oh? And when did you come to that conclusion, pray?"

"Oh, just little stuff I've been thinking about... lately."

"Such as?"

"Well like, like Mom, for instance."

The seaman's face darkened slightly. "What about your mother?"

"She's been — happier since she moved here. She looks like I feel when I've made a new friend. And I have heard her talk to herself a few times. Now I know for sure she was talking to you."

"What else, Candy?"

The girl shrugged. "Things," she said, recalling all the events she had gone over in her mind during her bike ride home that day. "Jonathan talking about you. Lots of stuff that's happened this year that nobody around here would say anything about. Jonathan wanting to make me Willow Bark Golden Elixir for my cold. Scruffy barking at something... some ONE that wasn't there. Guess he could see you too, huh?"

The spirit nodded. "Yes, but I didn't tell him. Animals just know."

The girl nodded. "Like the cat and dog in that movie I saw on the late show with Martha a couple of weeks ago. _The Uninvited._ The cat wouldn't go upstairs and the dog ran away. Guess I ought to be glad that... you didn't make Scruffy run away that one time — did you?" Her blue-green eyes grew large again.

"Of course not. Scruffy was in love with Shirley — Sheila."

"Oh yeah—" Candy grinned. "Mr. Norbert... Frank, I mean, showed us the puppies. They're so ugly, they're cute." Candy finished her milk, tossed the core of the apple she had been eating into the glass, and placed it on the coffee table. "I'll throw that in the wastebasket when the lights come back on," she grimaced. "I don't want to go back out into the kitchen in the dark."

"What else, Candy?" the Captain asked, finally sitting down on the rocking chair next to the couch.

"What else, what?"

"What else made you think I might be here? When did you start thinking I might actually not be a figment of Jonathan's and/or your mother's imagination?"

"Dunno," Candy shrugged. "Just... Well, for one thing, I really did wonder a while back when that big story about you not killing yourself was in the SBB. Mom told Martha, and I heard that it would be a little story. I thought the front-page story was neat, and your picture was really groovy, and I kept the paper, but I wondered how the story got there, because I knew Mister Finley was mad, and fired Mom, so he didn't do it, but I didn't think Mom did either. And there was when that Mister Seigert was here and he wrote that song. He said he didn't write the words, and that made me wonder where he got them, and then also I remembered Jonathan saying maybe you wrote them because of the stuff about the sea in it." She scratched her head. "Actually, I thought MAYBE you might be here, but nobody said anything, so then I thought maybe you might be afraid..."

"Why do the women in this family continually call me a coward?" the seaman blustered, and the thunder outside grew louder for a moment. He calmed himself almost as soon as he had started, however, having no wish to make the child nervous again. And indeed she was, for she had curled back up under the afghan and was looking at him reproachfully. "I'm sorry, Candy. I didn't mean to frighten you. But I am not, never in my lifetime, or since, ever been a coward! And it goes against my grain to be called such."

Candy sniffed. "You didn't let me finish, Captain. I didn't think YOU were afraid of anything, just that you might be worried that if you told me you were here that... that you thought I would blab it all over town, like Penelope Hassenhammer might have, that's all. I'm not a tattletale."

"Candy, I... I didn't think that at all. And I'll tell you again, I may have erred in my thinking, but, well, rather like your parents, your teachers, all those who care for you, I could only do what I thought was best at the time. I knew in my heart you weren't ready to accept me. Not as Jonathan was, as your mother had to, needed to, perhaps, and like Martha still isn't... quite. I have faith that her day will come, though."

"Well, at least I found out before Martha did," Candy grinned. "You think you'll tell her, too, one of these days?"

"Yes, when the time is right. I'm almost sure of it." And the seaman gave the little girl his most charming smile — one that had won the heart of many a fair maid in his day. "Now then," he continued. "The fire has warmed the room nicely, I think. Your mother should be home in an hour or so—"

"Where is she?" The girl blushed. "Golly. I got so scared, being home alone and all that, I forgot to ask... Is Mom okay? And Jonathan and Scruffy? And Martha? Do you know that for sure?"

"They're all fine. Martha and the Reverend Farley weren't done at the funeral until after four. She and the good man stayed to help with the reception afterward, and then they were caught by the storm. Your mother and Jonathan were delayed for the same reason — a washed out bridge just outside Keystone, but my guess is they should be home around six. Everyone is fine."

"How do you know that, Captain?"

"I have my ways, girl," he smiled. "You'll just have to trust me, for now."

The little girl nodded. "Okay." She thought for a moment. "Captain?"

"Yes?"

"If I have any more questions now about you, or anything that — that, well, has happened since we came here, will you be honest and answer me? No more hiding?"

"Of course."

"No more secrets?"

"No." The seaman paused. "Candy, my dear?"

"Yeah?"

"You wouldn't hold any real ill-will against an old sea-dog like me, would you? About..."

"Nah, I guess not. You were only doing what you thought was best. Mom says that all the time. I'm still not sure if she's always right, or you either, but I know she only does stuff like that because she loves me and wants the best for me."

"Good." He smiled again. "Friends, Candy?"

"Friends, Captain Gregg." Her face brightened. "Hey... I learned how to play chess at school a couple weeks ago. None of my friends seemed like it much, though. Can you play chess?"

"Candy, I love playing chess."

"What about volleyball?"

"What? Here? Now?"

"Of course not! Mom would kill me and you... well, you know... if we played that in the house! So can we play chess while we wait for everyone to come home? Maybe pop some corn? The electricity is out, but the gas works. I could show you where the popcorn and butter and salt and stuff is."

"I'd love to."

XXX

"Sorry, Candy..." The Captain popped a piece of popcorn in his mouth. "Checkmate again..."

"Blast," Candy sighed, tipping over her king.

"Cheer up, my dear!" The Captain smiled without a trace of condescension. "You were much better during that last game. If you keep practicing, you will be a master in no time."

"You think so, Captain? No fooling?"

"Of course," the seaman said as he started setting up the pieces for another game. "No fooling, no fibbing. And I promised no more secrets and hiding, either. And don't forget, I'm available, anytime you need me, for anything."

There was a sound in the doorway. "Candy? Captain Gregg?" Carolyn, Jonathan and Scruffy stood in the doorway, looking extremely surprised.

"Ah, good evening, Madam," the spirit said, nonchalantly. "I see you have made it home safely."

"Uhm, yes, the road was washed out. We had to take the long way around, but..."

"Captain!" Jonathan looked at the spirit and then his sibling. "Candy! You can see him now." It was a statement more than a question, and Scruffy trotted over amiably, sniffing first at Candy and then at the seaman.

"Hi, Scruff!" The girl reached out and scratched the dog's ears. "See? The vet wasn't so bad!" She turned back to her mother. "Yeah! I found him... he found me... when I got scared being all alone during the thunderstorm."

"Alone! Candy, where's Martha?" Carolyn's eyes searched the rest of the room. "Is everything all right?"

"Emergency, my dear," the seaman said, standing up from his position on the floor and stretching. "Reverend Farley was by. He needed Martha as a substitute organist. She couldn't turn the good man down, you know, and naturally thought you would be back from the doctor's by the time Candy got home. But the slumber party broke up early. So when Candy ended up here by herself, in the storm, I..."

"...He popped in and introduced himself and then he kept me company," Candy finished.

Carolyn shook her head. "I'm sorry, Candy. We ran late, too. The bri..."

"I know," Candy nodded. "The bridge was out. The Captain told me you guys were okay, but I'm still glad you're back safe." Getting up, she gave her mother and then her brother a hug. "Have we got time for another game, Captain?" She looked at the seaman expectantly.

"Well, Candy, now that your mother and brother are home, I'm sure you all have something..."

Candy shook her head. "Not really. The power is back on now, but if the TV is broken, there's not that much to do — we could play another game of — no. Chess is only for two people. I know! Can you play Chinese checkers? How about Scrabble? All of us can play those. Or Monopoly... you can be the ship."

"Hey! I want to be the ship!" Jonathan cut in. "Captain Gregg was the ship last time."

"But I wasn't playing with you the last time, so it doesn't count," Candy countered, putting her hands on her hips. "New person, new rules. So can we, Mom?" Candy turned to her mother. "It's okay with you, isn't it, Captain?"

"I have no objection."

"Uhm... sure," said Carolyn, looking at Daniel Gregg, who was giving Candy an agreeable smile.

"Okay," Candy nodded. "We'll go get the game. Mom, Jonathan, are you guys hungry? We can make more popcorn — the Captain's really good at that ... C'mon Jonathan." The two headed for the stairs, and Carolyn heard her son's whispered voice as the made their way to the foyer.

"See? I TOLD you he was real!" Jonathan hissed. "You made fun..."

"He's a real _ghost_, Jonathan... not a live person... but he is really nice, and he explained everything to me. I really like him. But I STILL have lots of questions I want to ask all of you..." Her voice trailed away.

Carolyn looked at the spirit. "I trust you can fill me in on a bit more of the happenings of this afternoon later this evening? After the children are in bed?"

"I would like that very much," Captain Gregg nodded. "Perhaps over a glass of Madeira in my wheelhouse?"

"That sounds like a wonderful way to end the day, Captain."

"My pleasure, dear lady."

XXX

The rest of the evening went by quickly. Carolyn, the children, and the Captain had a chance to catch up on things, visit, and play the 'short' version of Monopoly that Candy had requested. Carolyn ad-libbed a dinner of hotdogs and baked beans, which Candy and Jonathan declared 'scrumptious' and the seaman looked at, aghast, and pronounced inedible.

Martha arrived back at Gull Cottage around seven, apologizing profusely for her unplanned absence. Earlier, Candy had pleaded with her mother to gloss over the fact that she had been, for all intents and purposes, 'alone' for two hours, declaring that it would only make Martha feel terrible, and since she hadn't been really alone anyway, it would only "confuse things." Feeling only a little hesitant, Carolyn agreed to her daughter's request — she being the last one to faunch about not being totally open about certain matters. The children departed to take their baths shortly after Martha's arrival home, and before anyone knew it, they had bid the housekeeper goodnight, and their mother was kissing them, and tucking them in bed.

"This has been a good day," yawned Jonathan. "You know about the Captain now, Candy, Scruffy didn't get excited at the vet, and I didn't have any cavities."

"I'm glad the Captain and I came ahead of the dentist, Jonathan," Candy grinned from her bed.

"Mom, do you think it would be all right if the Captain and I went fishing after church?" Jonathan asked.

"I don't see why—" but Carolyn was cut off by her daughter's protests.

"That's not fair, Jonathan! You've had Captain Gregg all to yourself for a year! It's my turn! Besides," she added. "I've already got dibs on him tomorrow. He's going to show me a few more things about chess, and then I am going to teach him to play volleyball."

"Mom!" Jonathan protested. "Just because..."

"Mother! Make him see..."

"Mom, Candy's getting bossy again! It's..."

"Now, now!" Daniel Gregg materialized, looking stern. "Do I hear the sounds of mutiny on board this vessel?"

"Not mutiny, Captain," Carolyn smiled. "More like a little dissension within the ranks."

"We were going to go fishing tomorrow, right Captain?" Jonathan demanded. "You said we were."

"But you said you were going to teach me some more about chess!" Candy protested. "And then I was going to teach you to..."

"...Volleyball. Yes, Candy. However, I think we can manage both," the seaman smiled. "Chess lesson first, with BOTH of you, if you wish, Jonathan. Then we can all go to the beach, set up the rods and lines, and Candy can teach me the fundamentals of volleyball, and we'll take the rest of the afternoon from there. How's that?"

"Sounds good, Captain!" Jonathan grinned.

"Fine for me, too, Captain," Candy nodded. Then she blushed. "Sorry if we disturbed you. Guess I shouldn't be greedy, but I want to... catch up on things, you know?" The seafarer nodded. "Sorry to bother you."

"You weren't bothering me. I intended to drop in tonight."

"How come?" Jonathan asked.

"To do something I've waited almost a year for," he said quietly.

"And that would be?" Carolyn asked, curious.

"To wish Candy and Jonathan sweet dreams, of course," he said, looking pleased. "I think it's grand that I can help tuck you BOTH in now."

"I think it's neat, Captain," said Jonathan. "No more running up to the attic to say goodnight to you! Goodnight, Mom. Night, Captain Gregg." Smiling, the boy's eyes closed.

"I like it, too," said Candy, snuggling further under her quilt. "We're all one family, now. And Jonathan and I like it when Mom tucks us in, so Captain, having you here, too, makes things just... perfect." She breathed a happy sigh and turned over on her side, her eyes shutting also.

"I agree with you one-hundred percent, Candy," the seaman nodded. "It's always nice to be able to bid goodnight to people you love," he added, softly, giving Carolyn a look that said much more than his words.

The spirit's and the lady's eyes met for a moment, echoing the sentiment silently to one another.

"I think so too, my dear Captain," Carolyn whispered, as she turned off the lamp between the two beds and headed toward the door. "I think so, too."


End file.
